2023-07-14 15:04:13
If the Hubble telescope has undeniably revolutionized our understanding of the Universe thanks to several emblematic images, its successor, the James-Webb telescope, inaugurates a new era in its study. A year after the start of its observations, the JWST has demonstrated the full extent of its capabilities, resulting in the publication of hundreds of scientific papers. This work has made it possible to answer long-standing questions while raising new questions. There is no doubt that the space telescope will continue to do its part to answer them.
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[EN VIDÉO] The first images from the James Webb Space Telescope Discover the first images sent by NASA of the JWST, the space telescope with…
Launched on December 25, 2021 by Ariane 5, the James-Webb space telescope took several weeks to reach its position at Lagrange 2 point, 1.5 million kilometers from Earth in the opposite direction to the Sun (January 24) and after a gradual commissioning of its instruments, the JWST began its observations in June and on July 12, 2022, we were able to discover its first lights and understood that there will be a before and after with this program started in 1989, marking a step in our understanding of the Universe.
Did you know ?
The James-Webb Space Telescope has a collecting surface 7 times larger than Hubble. It is devoted to the observation of the Universe in infrared radiation (from 1 to 27 microns in wavelength). For this, it has four instruments. Three of them study near infrared radiation (from 1 to 5 microns in wavelength): a camera, a spectrometer, and a fine guidance sensor with a tunable filter. The 4th instrument consists of both a camera equipped with 4 coronagraphs and a spectrometer, will operate between 5 and 27 microns of wavelength.
Promising results with many significant findings
A year later, a first assessment is needed. As Éric Smith, associate director of research for the Astrophysics division of the “ Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters, the extent of the science that Webb is able to explore becomes really clear now that we have a full year of sightings of a very wide variety of objectss”. This first year of operation has not disappointed anyone and has already “not only taught us new things about our Universe, but it has also revealed that the telescope’s capabilities were beyond our expectations, which means that future discoveries will still be more astonishing”, adds the scientist.
The James-Webb spectra revolution
Beyond the stunning infrared images, it’s the “precise Webb spectra, that is, the detailed information that the telescope’s spectroscopic instruments can glean from the light of observed objects, that elicit the greatest excitement.” would like to clarify Éric Smith. Its spectra have confirmed the distances of some of the most distant galaxies ever observed and have led to the discovery of the oldest and most distant supermassive black holes. They also made it possible to take the first measurement of the thermal emission of a temperate rocky planet in the Trappist-1 system.
JWST’s greatest discoveries will be ‘ones that obviously cannot be expected or imagined’
They have also made it possible to identify the composition of exoplanet atmospheres (or lack thereof) in greater detail than ever before, as well as to determine for the first time different types of atmospheres likely to exist on rocky exoplanets. They also revealed the chemical composition of stellar nurseries and protoplanetary disks, by detecting water, organic molecules containing carbon, etc.
The James-Webb is not only able to observe the most distant objects. He also excels in the study of our own Solar system and its planets with several discoveries including new clues to our origins and how Earth became the ideal place for life as we know it.
James-Webb successors already in development
Although the James-Webb telescope mission is just beginning and is expected to last about ten years, NASA is already considering its successors. THE Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (formerly WFIRST) is designed to study dark energy and dark matter, with the goal of determining whether the current expansion of the Universe is speeding up or slowing down. Its launch is planned for the end of the decade (2027).
The JWST celebrates its first year in space with this stunning image of our Universe
NASA is also working on theHabitable Worlds Observatorya revolutionary observatory that will succeed the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. It will be able to detect habitable exoplanets and search for signs of life on them. Its launch is not scheduled before the 2040s. These future missions bear witness to NASA’s desire to continue exploring, observing and understanding the Universe that surrounds us. They are motivated by our desire to answer one of the fundamental questions of humanity: are we alone in the Universe or is life widespread elsewhere?
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